In yet another shakeup in the local TV news space, a number of longtime anchors at stations in Los Angeles and Chicago have been laid off. The cuts come as the stations’ corporate parent, Nexstar Media Group seeks to cut costs as it pursues a merger with rival Tegna.
Among those let go in Los Angeles are KTLA‘s longtime weatherman Mark Kriski, weathercaster Kacey Montoya, midday anchors Lu Parker and Glen Walker and reporter Ellina Abovian.
Kriski is an eight-time Emmy winner and a fixture of the KTLA Morning Show, having covered weather-related news on everything from the recent Malibu Fires the the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
Montoya is also a multiple Emmy winner who joined the station in 2013.
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SAG-AFTRA condemned the layoffs which began yesterday at WGN-TV in Chicago, noting that positions impacted were SAG-AFTRA roles.
“By laying off journalists across the country, Nexstar is eroding the resources and talent that local communities rely on for trusted news. These actions highlight the risks of media consolidation and underscore the urgent need for regulators and the company to prioritize the public interest and the professionals who serve it,” said SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin in the release.
The guild also noted the broader context of the cuts.
“These layoffs come as SAG-AFTRA is actively bargaining with Nexstar stations in multiple markets. At the table, Nexstar is pushing to gut severance pay and insert onerous provisions into the union contract that limit workers’ ability to freely negotiate the terms of their own employment,” The statement read. “These reductions in SAG-AFTRA talent also comes as Nexstar finalizes its multi-billion-dollar acquisition of Tegna. This consolidation makes the decision to cut local newsroom jobs particularly troubling.”
A Nexstar spokesperson had the following comment when contacted by Deadline, “Nexstar does not comment on personnel issues, but the Company is taking steps necessary to compete effectively in this period of unprecedented change.”